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Police to quit Scotland Yard

Police bosses plan to move from Scotland Yard as they face making cuts of more than £500 million.

Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey told the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime that the force hopes to save around £6.5 million per year by moving to a smaller headquarters.

New Scotland Yard has been in its current location in Victoria Street since 1967 but Mr Mackey said it would take an investment of around £50 million to bring the building up to scratch.

He said that, as the force faces staff cuts, there will also be more and more space at the site, which is "an expensive luxury" in central London.

Mr Mackey said: "It's an expensive building to run and it's an expensive building to maintain and as we go through this change programme it's going to have space in it that we don't need. In central London that's an expensive luxury."

The force paid £124.5 million for the building in 2008 and it costs £11 million per year to run.

It is expected that the move will take around two years once approvals are in place.

The iconic building on Victoria Street Credit: PA

Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation John Tully said the sale of New Scotland Yard was like losing the Crown Jewels.

"It's very regrettable that it's come to this. Clearly it's a building of age and it's got upkeep costs, but the old police authority and now Mopac have had a consistent policy of selling off property and they've now reached the Crown Jewels," he said.

"An iconic building like New Scotland Yard is going to bite the dust.

"The Mayor needs to look at his own office. He sits in a brand new building on the South Bank - why doesn't he sell that to save money? Thousands of people work at New Scotland Yard and it seems to me that there will be a lot of incremental costs to relocate people."